Electric scooter sharing services or programs keep growing rapidly across the nation, especially in bigger cities. Sacramento is one of the cities in California to have brought in such scooters in February 2019. People can find and book shared electric scooters through a mobile application. They will cost a few cents per minute to rent.
Scooter Laws in California
The California Vehicle Code Section 407.5 defines a motorized scooter as “any two-wheeled device that has handlebars, has a floorboard that is designed to be stood upon when riding, and is powered by an electric motor.”
Another section of it was amended to address such types of scooters. The amendments took effect in January 2019 after being signed to law by the California Governor, Jerry Brown, in September 2018. The changes prohibit any person from riding the scooter upon a highway with a speed limit of more than 25 miles per hour unless it is on a Class II or IV bikeway. The riders have to wear their helmet except if they are aged eighteen years.
They are also prohibited from operating the scooter:
- On a sidewalk, except if it is required to come into or leave the adjacent property;
- At a speed that is more than 15 miles per hour;
- With passengers;
- Sans a valid instruction permit or driver’s license; or,
- Leaving it lying upon the sidewalk
This legislation is designed to raise the competitiveness of electric scooters beside that of electric bikes through the option of grabbing their ride from the street without lugging a helmet around. Scooter rental companies, on the other hand, advise strongly for wearing helmets.
Safety Concerns When Operating an
Electric Scooter
Sacramento residents have voiced concerns about rider responsibility, as well as protecting public safety. One of these involves riders of electric scooter behaving recklessly. Those who do not follow traffic laws, like stopping at traffic signals, or travel with the traffic flow, can put themselves as well as other bicyclists, motorists and pedestrians in danger.
Concerns are also being raised about people who park scooters in areas not designated for them, like the fronts of private residences, sidewalks, ramps for those with disabilities, etc. Locking scooters to fire hydrant and stop signs is another problem that concerned citizens are commonly bringing up. Since scooters keep proliferating in the streets, there is now a greater risk of scooter-to-automobile or scooter-to-motorcycle accident and injuries. If you were injured lately, you could likely benefit from collaborating with one of the motor accident lawyers with in-depth knowledge of city ordinances and state laws, and the way to know them to your case’s specifics.